Career and Education Opportunities for Dental Hygienists in Laramie, Wyoming

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for dental hygienists in the Laramie, Wyoming area. About 360 people are currently employed as dental hygienists in Wyoming. By 2016, this is expected to grow by 38% to about 490 people employed. This is better than the national trend for dental hygienists, which sees this job pool growing by about 36.1% over the next eight years. In general, dental hygienists clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease.

A person working as a dental hygienist can expect to earn about $25 per hour or $53,670 annually on average in Wyoming and about $32 hourly or $66,570 yearly on average in the U.S. as a whole. Incomes for dental hygienists are not quite as good as in the overall category of Dental in Wyoming, and not quite as good as the overall Dental category nationally. Dental hygienists work in a variety of jobs, including: oral hygienist, dental nurse, and registered dental hygienist .

There is one school within twenty-five miles of Laramie where you can study to be a dental hygienist, among two schools of higher education total in the Laramie area. Given that the most common education level for dental hygienists is an Associate's, or other 2-year degree, you can expect to spend about two years studying to be a dental hygienist if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, dental hygienists clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. They also may educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop X-rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.

Dental hygienists furnish clinical services and health education to further optimize and maintain the oral health of patients and the general public. They also clean calcareous deposits and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments. Equally important, dental hygienists have to feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease. They are often called upon to record and review patient medical histories. They are expected to examine gums, using probes, to identify periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease. Finally, dental hygienists remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.

Every day, dental hygienists are expected to be able to articulate ideas and problems. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings. It is also important that they evaluate problems as they arise.

It is important for dental hygienists to feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to uncover swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer. They are often called upon to maintain patient recall system. They also expose and develop x-ray film. They are sometimes expected to chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist. Somewhat less frequently, dental hygienists are also expected to conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.

Dental hygienists sometimes are asked to apply fluorides and other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay. They also have to be able to administer local anesthetic agents and make impressions for study casts. And finally, they sometimes have to place and remove rubber dams and temporary restorations.

Like many other jobs, dental hygienists must be reliable and have exceptional integrity.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Dental Hygienist Training

University of Wyoming - Laramie, WY

University of Wyoming, Corner of Ninth and Ivinson, Laramie, WY 82071. University of Wyoming is a large university located in Laramie, Wyoming. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 11,920 students and an admission rate of 96%. University of Wyoming has a bachelor's degree program in Dental Hygiene/Hygienist which graduated seven students in 2008.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Laramie, Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming photo by Decumanus

Laramie is located in Albany County, Wyoming. It has a population of over 27,523. The cost of living index in Laramie, 96, is near the national average. New single-family homes in Laramie are priced at $156,100 on average, which is well below the state average. In 2008, eighty-six new homes were built in Laramie, down from one hundred thirteen the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Laramie are educational services, health care, and accommodation and food services. For men, it is educational services, construction, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 12 minutes. More than 46.7% of Laramie residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 19.6%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Laramie is 3.8%, which is less than Wyoming's average of 6.8%. About 22.6% of Laramie's residents are below the poverty line, which is worse than the state average.

The percentage of Laramie residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 37.4%, is less than both the national and state average. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the LDS (Mormon) Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Shopping centers in the area include Campus Mall and Odd Fellows Shopping Center. Visitors to Laramie can choose from Holiday Inn, 1st Inn Gold and Woods Landing Store for temporary stays in the area.